Job Details

This project is a partnership between the Africa Range-Wide Cheetah Conservation Initiative (CCI), supported by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), and field-based NGOs Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), Zambian Carnivore Program (ZCP), and Conservation South Luangwa (CSL).

Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) works in partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) through the North Luangwa Conservation Programme (NLCP) to protect and conserve the North Luangwa landscape. The NLCP supports effective and efficient protected area management, with a wider focus on empowering communities to manage natural resources in the Game Management Areas adjacent to the park. The NLCP’s mission, ‘Linking livelihoods and landscape,’ seeks to address key challenges by taking holistic approaches for more resilient socio-ecological systems.

FZS Zambia is seeking a well-qualified assistant project manager to help field-manage all aspects of a new project to assess the possibility for cheetah restoration into the Greater Luangwa Ecosystem in Zambia. The project will encompass significant site security, infrastructure development and maintenance and community engagement activities prior to and alongside the potential translocation, release, and monitoring of cheetah.

The successful candidate will be expected to support the project manager in all aspects of this project including project administration, infrastructure development, human resource management, financial management, stakeholder engagement and communication, technical oversight and implementation, capacity development, and knowledge management, with the support of the NLCP.

• Support the project manager in project administration: recruitment, adherence to HR, financial management, administration and procurement policies.
• Support implementation of the work plan. Work towards assessing the suitability of the area for cheetah, and if suitable, facilitate the translocation, release and monitoring of cheetah.
• Under the guidance of the project manager, oversee logistics and major construction projects.
• Under the guidance of the project manager, oversee the organization of meetings, workshops and trainings, and ensure effective and timely reporting.
• Collaborate with and support the NLCP’s Landscape Integration Unit team in Nabwalya, with a focus on livelihood projects and human-wildlife conflict mitigation measures.
• Support the project manager in improving site security and access, promoting landscape connectivity, and providing community support for wildlife conservation through a co-management governance system.
• Manage knowledge through the coordination, development, and implementation of a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework.

Essential

• Minimum of a BSc degree in ecology, wildlife management, or conservation, or an equivalent qualification.
• Minimum 3 years of direct field experience working in African ecosystems alongside local communities.
• Proven project experience in Africa, and preferably Zambia.
• History of living in a remote and challenging location in Africa.
• Experience in field operations (roads, fences, workshops, solar systems).
• Experience in protected area management; site security, operations, biodiversity conservation, monitoring and research.
• Experience working in multicultural teams.

Desirable

• MSc degree in the above qualifications.
• Experience in conservation data management.
• Experience working with large carnivores and cheetah specifically, and in species monitoring and management.
• Construction experience.
• Ability to communicate in local languages.

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Strong budget keeping and financial accounting.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Ability to work independently and under direction.
• Ability to be open to learning and developing your skill sets.
• Excellent written and spoken English communication skills.
• Excellent community engagement skills and workshop/meeting facilitation experience.
• Good understanding of the challenges faced by communities in landscapes like Munyamadzi GMA.
• Able to efficiently and effectively adapt and respond to challenges and changing situations and find practical ways forward.

Desirable

• Proficiency in GIS.
• A strategic thinker.
• Knowledge of landscape ecology and animal movement behaviour.
• Demonstrated belief in maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mind.

Additional requirements

• Valid passport and driving licence accepted in Zambia.
• Off-road experience.
• Willingness to work flexible hours in variable environments.
• Committed to fostering a culture of diversity, inclusivity, integrity, and innovation.

• Engaging and meaningful work with a dynamic team that encourages independent and entrepreneurial thinking
• Opportunity to contribute towards the protection of impressive wilderness areas
• 2-year contract with probation period
• Competitive salary based on experience and qualifications

Please send a cover letter including your salary expectations and your earliest possible starting date and a chronological CV in PDF format. Please include the contact details of three (3) traceable references with a brief description of your working relationship

Applications deadline: 14th of February 2025.